Category Archives: Colony High School

Christine Vandenberg and Colony High School defeated Mt. Baldy League rival, Montclair High School, 3-2, in overtime to claim the Ontario Christian Tournament Championship.

Vandenberg scored two goals including the game-winner for the Titans during the overtime period.

“The game plan was just to press Montclair’s back line and score as quickly as we could,” Vandenberg said. “I figured I would get a chance by pressing high. I saw the ball come off the keeper’s hands and the open net was there.”

Jessica Esquivel contributed to the Titans’ victory with a goal of her own.

“I think this win is just what we needed to boost our confidence and drive as we head into league,” Esquivel said. “This tournament has definitely prepared us mentally and physically for a competitive league this season.”

Vandenberg and Esquivel each scored in the first half before the Cavaliers would score two of their own in the second half and forcing overtime.

“There is always something to work on as a team,” Esquivel said. “But in our case I think it would be best if we worked on our consistency throughout the game instead of letting our guard down and conceding goals or our lead.”

The title game victory also served as Colony head coach John Cortez’s 100th win.

“I feel this was a perfect way for coach Cortez to get 100th win,” Vandenberg said.

Colony (7-0-3) is scheduled to play California High School at 3:15 p.m. on Jan 5. The Titans begin open league play at home against Montclair on Jan 8 at 3:15 p.m.

Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks and Omar Bolden of the Denver Broncos will host their second annual youth football camp at Colony High School this Saturday:

Both Bolden and Wagner are alumni of Colony High.

The duo will always bring a number of their close friends and teammates from around the NFL to participate such as Von Miller (Broncos), Corona Centennial High alum Vontaze Burfict (Bengals) and Mt. SAC alum Bruce Irving (Seahawks).

The event will feature two age groups with the first group, ages 7-10, starting at 8 a.m. and the second group, ages 11-14, starting at noon.

Those willing to attend the event are asked to sign up at FreeIEcamps@gmail.com. A total of 400 have already reportedly signed up. Walk-in will be accepted if there are no shows.

Campers will work with the NFL players in various football drills before receiving a backpack with school supplies.
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The Colony High School football team is ranked No. 2 in the Central Division and was hopeful for another extended playoff run this season. But those hopes took a hit when junior quarterback Josh Thompson sustained a broken collarbone in Thursday’s 35-17 Mt. Baldy League win over Don Lugo.

The injury happened on the first drive but Thompson tried to play through another before telling his coaches he didn’t feel right.

“It was a play he got hit on but it wasn’t some bone-crushing it or anything like that,” Titans coach Steve Randall said. “It didn’t seem like a big deal.”

Thompson was the leading passer in the area, having thrown for 1,903 yards and 14 touchdowns with four interceptions. He has run for another 106 yards and six touchdowns.

If there is a silver lining , it is that senior backup Jordan Johnson got almost a full game in and directed the team to a win. The Titans close out the regular season next week against Montclair which doesn’t mean much since the Titans clinched a league title last night.

No one had heard of Thompson last year when he took over for an injured Jonathan Trucks.

Johnson had been battling Thompson for the backup role last year so he is a veteran in the program.

Randall is now glad his team played on Thursday so his team has a couple days to regroup. He said he won’t change anything with a different quarterback in charge.

“I just don’t believe that’s the best thing to do,” he said. “We have a couple days to collect ourselves and get ready. Injuries happen. They’re part of the game.”

The Don Lugo volleyball team is celebrating a Mt. Baldy League title and it has been a long time coming. In fact, it is believed to a first in the sport for the Conquistadores.

This should have come easy but didn’t. On the court the Conquistadores went undefeated in league play but they had to forfeit four matches, three of those Mt. Baldy matches, due to incorrect information provided on what was later ruled an eligible transfer.

So officially Don Lugo is 11-8 overall, 9-3 in league. It looked like the team would have to settle for a tie for first but when Chino knocked off Colony the last match of the season it gave the Conquistadores an unshared title. Call it poetic justice.

The rise of the program has come thanks in part to the arrival of the Chino Volleyballerz, a club team started by Don Lugo coach Eve Knowles who had recently moved into the area and was looking for a place for daughter Ayana to play. There wasn’t one so she started one. That’s never an easy chore.

When the Don Lugo position opened she was asked to take it and she did.

Like other sports, volleyball has become a year-round game. You can’t compete unless the balance of your team plays year-round. Clubs provide feeder programs for area high schools and colleges but you can’t control who goes where. So as a club coach you could be grooming players for rival high schools. So those who work with clubs are doing it for the advancement of the sport as much as anything.

Hopefully the progress of the Don Lugo program and the Chino club program will be the catalyst for improvement in other Inland Empire programs as well. That would benefit everybody.

Colony High School football coach Steve Randall stood on the field at Chaffey a half hour from kickoff talking about his senior running back Devan Imbach. To play him or not to pay him.

Imbach sustained a stress fracture three weeks ago and has missed the last couple of games. Fortunately for Randall and the Titans those games were against lesser foes.

But Randall was debating whether to play Imbach on Friday against the Tigers. He left the decision on suiting up to Imbach so Randall knew what would happen. He was dressing out.

But Randall said his trainers are keeping an eye on the star player.

Randall said he’d like to get him in the game for a few carries rather than have him try and play in next week’s game against Chino, which could be for a Mt. Baldy League title, without having carried the ball for month.